(H)air Travel: Fake Hair and the TSA

This is an update to a post I did forever ago about flying wearing a topper – more precisely, going through metal detectors when the clips of your hairpiece are made of metal.

So many write in about this, that I figured this post was due for an update. I’ve traveled several times since this original post was published, and sometimes I breeze right through security without so much as a beep…and sometimes not.

Read the below about one particular instance I’ve had flying, and be sure to read the update towards the end. 🙂

So, what happens when you are interviewing for work out of state? A lot of air travel. With security checks and walk-thru thingies that inevitably will beep and point everyone to a flashing, neon sign that reads, “Fake hair, fake hair!”…right?

That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but to be honest, I wasn’t quite so sure what would happen. I had a feeling that my metal topper clips might just betray me.

You may recall I posted awhile back about wearing microlink extensions on my super-thin hair, back before I started wearing toppers. These I wore through airport security and since my head was covered in 40 metal beads, I did get flagged when I walked through on one of my legs of my trip.

It was one of those machines where you enter and you put your arms up and you get scanned. It showed the person of an outline and where the “problem” was, which was all around my head.

Honestly, it was not a big deal. A TSA agent (who was wearing hair herself), came over and patted my head, and I told her, “I have hair extensions in” and she said, “Girl, I know that’s right” and I went on my merry way.

But those were extensions. ANYone can wear extensions.

What I wear now is a solution to women’s hair loss.

My cure for it.

Slightly more…taboo.

Or, maybe “taboo” isn’t the best word for it, but a topper is something so few people know about.

I thought about ways I could avoid having the metal topper clips set off the detector.

For example, I considered wearing a wig on the plane – no clips, no metal, nothing to raise attention. But, I’m not 100% comfortable in wigs right now.

I could wear a big, stretchy headband and my hair in a ponytail. Eh, my ponytail is pathetic, so that option was out.

Concealers were a God-send at one point in time, but that ship has sailed.

Or sunk, depending on how you look at it.

I finally just said “screw it”, decided to wear my topper, metal clips and all, and hope for the best.

Would you believe not one alarm went off?!

I had to go through both a regular, walk-thru scanner as well and the full-on circular body-thing (does it have a name?? I’m struggling with that, here) and no so much as a blip occurred.

Now if it HAD, I already had my story in place: I would’ve just said I had extensions in, just like last time. They would have patted my head (maybe) and that would’ve been it.

But, that’s me.

If you are super-nervous about this and it comes down to an inspection, you could ask for a private screening, but in my opinion, that’s making a mountain out of a molehill.

So, that was THAT trip. I’ve flown many times since then, and have had to have my head be patted down a few times.

I know what you’re thinking: patted down??? I’ll die, Lauren, I just will.

It’s not what you think.

No alarms bells sound, or anything.

But, after going through the body scanner, something obviously flags TSA that something’s going on with my head.

The agent usually tells me something along the lines of, “I have to feel your head really quick”.

And they do.

I generally wear my hair up, like this, when I travel. Well, for normal days, too, but always when I travel.

From the front:

From the back (super messy!):

I’m not sure exactly what flags the system.

It could be my topper clips.

It could be my large, metal barrette.

The beauty of it is…if I don’t know, the security peeps probably don’t either.

Usually they just place one hand over my updo, and do one quick pat.

They aren’t searching.

They don’t ask me to remove anything.

They don’t look at me funny.

Truly…they don’t care.

Because we are one of 5,000 people they’ll see that day.

So yes, sometimes you MAY get flagged at the airport.

But it really ain’t no thang, as long as you don’t make it out to be.

If you don’t/can’t wear your hair up, you can always throw in some bobby pins, like I’ve done with this front-shot of my half up, half down style.

Comments

Good Luck sweetie! That is somexmive! Thanks for this info. I have worried about international air travel. But yea.. I wear hair…so?! Im worried about telling new bf. Obly dating a few weeks….doesnt know yet. Im scared to tell

I had a nightmare traveling about a year ago. I decided to wear a baseball cap travel with and pack my wig. When I went through TSA they made me remove my hat. Mind you, in the next lane there was a gentleman wearing a turban who went through without any issue. It seems to me that women who have hair loss should be able to carry some type of card that they present to TSA so that they can avoid the humiliation and anxiety associated with the process

Oooh, yes, that is hard. For religious purposes I guess you are ok but, yeah, hats need to be removed. I’m so sorry that happened! And, at least it wasn’t a cap with fake hair attached (can you imagine?!!).

This happened to me when I first started wearing a topper- I was soooo nervous! And nothing happened!!! Thank the Lord!!! I wanted to tell you to beware of those clip-in toppers though. I wore mine for about a year – LOVED it!! But it caused me to lose more hair because of the traction. I switched to “bonding” a topper to my head (basically gluing it) – which I did for 2 years. It caused even MORE hair loss and was a lot of work and $$. Thanks to your blog – I’ve recently switched over to a full wig. I was so nervous at first to wear it – but I just decided to OWN it and just tell anyone who said anything “Oh its a wig! Can you tell?” I just say I don’t like my own hair and love the ease of a wig – you wouldn’t believe how many women are jealous and no one believes its a wig! I went with synthetic too!

And one last thing – to the lady who is scared to tell her boyfriend – i was TERRIFIED to tell my boyfriend. So one night, when we were in bed – IN THE DARK! lol – I got up the nerve and just told him. I was a blubbering mess because I was so embarrassed. He acted so non-chalant and pulled me close and said “Ok. So?” It was such a RELIEF to get it off my chest!!! We are now married with a baby on the way!! So hopefully you get the same reaction from your guy! And if you don’t – he’s SHALLOW! 🙂

Yikes. I was at a guys house and I was wearing my tooper. We were watching a movie and he started kissing me and as things continued I laid down on the couch. *AHEM* i Was so distracted (you know) I neglected to notice his hand was on my head!! I quickly grabbed his hand and the evening ended not long after that. Wow, he had to have felt/noticed something, he acted like he didn’t though. Arggggg! The things we have to go through!

Thanks for sharing Lauren! I am flying in a few weeks with my new boss and coworkers and dreading the potential alarm situation. I love the bobby pin idea so thanks for the great tip and best of luck with your move!!

Yay TX!! Good luck with he whole process! Moves are rough on everyone! I live in the Dallas area and I love it. Thanks for sharing your experience with the whole airport thing. I was worried about that. My whole game plan with the topper in general is to claim it’s hair extensions. haha for everything and every situation, including dating! I love the reaction of the TSA agent, “girl I know that’s right!” lol!
Lauren you should write a book! I was looking on amazon and all the hair loss books, and all I could find were books about prevention and remedies (chemical and homeopathic). There was nothing about acceptance and realistic solutions. You could write it under a pen name to keep anonymous!

I’ve been able to make it through airport screening devices so far without setting off the metal detectors. Phew! I wear a topper AND copper ring hair extensions!! One time a female TSA agent patted the top of my head (I was wearing the topper) but she didn’t say anything and I didn’t volunteer anything. I was wondering if she thought I was carrying a concealed weapon in the crown of my hair. LOL.

If TSA forced anyone to remove their hat/wig/topper/whatever hair loss concealer, I bet if you just stood there, loud and proud, oozing “hey, I’ve got bad hairloss, got something to say?”, the TSA agent would feel way more embarrassed than you. I think very few of them want to go out of their way to embarrass people.

Also, I just wanted to say that I’ve been reading your blog for close to a year now and it has inspired me to take the plunge. I bought fake hair. I hate trying to match things to my hair color though (weird ashy brown but also reddish…and goldish) and NOTHING ever matches the texture (curly but more often than not, frizzy) so I went ahead and bought a wig! I’m still playing with it to get it to look more natural but when I do I can’t wait to debut it at a grocery store trial run 🙂

I started wearing a topper this week. I’ve just ‘fessed up to several people because the difference between my bio hair (which I almost always wore in a pathetic little bun or a hat) and the topper is quite noticeable. Everyone has said, oh my gosh, I can’t tell- just knew your hair was different. My daughter plays volleyball and I have to sit very close to other people at eye level in the bleachers. I told another mom, and she was surprised it was helper hair. I am slightly paranoid about it, but less paranoid than I had been about my bio hair. It’s not perfect; but the better of two ‘evils.’ I’m enjoying wearing ‘my’ hair down for the first time in years. I do find myself looking at other women’s hair this week, and trying to see if I can spot a fellow hair-wearer, lol. I’ve already ordered a backup hair piece because now I’m not sure I would want to be without. I’ve been wearing a baseball cap to workout so I don’t contribute to my topper getting worn out too quickly. I’m a little concerned with the cost of hair, but it’s worth it to me for now. Thanks for this blog to give me the courage to try it.

Out of curiosity, why do you hide your hair loss from your parents? My mom is my biggest support system & I don’t know what I would do without her (she’s a hair dresser too so I really lucked out). If that’s too personal you don’t have to answer, just figured I’d ask.

Hi,
While googling “hair toppers” to help me hide my hair loss, I came across your blog. THANK YOU! It’s so refreshing to read something hopeful and positive, with practical tips. I just got the diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia today. I’ve been losing my hair since I was 26, and I’m now 33. I feel like I was in mourning for my hair for most of my 20s. Time to add Rogaine to my routine of Spiro,Bumble and Bumble volumizing spray, and Joan Rivers’ Great Hair Day. There’s a hair salon where I live that specializes in women with hair loss, and I plan on calling tomorrow to make an appointment to investigate toppers. I’m a runner, rock climber, and hiker, and I’m hoping that the topper doesn’t bother me when doing those activities. Any suggestions for what to do for exercise?
Good luck with the move and the new job!
Anna

I went to the wig salon…and walked out with my first wig! My hair is so thin on top that the owner said “metal clips are going to damage your hair, and people will be able to see tracks if I give you extensions.” She said that I was “borderline” in the sense that she could tell I maybe wasn’t ready to start wearing wigs yet, and also because I’m hiding it pretty well. And then she put the wig on me and noticed how my entire face lit up because I finally had hair.

Went out to dinner with it on and had to get used to the feeling of having hair in my face again! I’ve decided I’m not going to wear it to work this week, largely so I can get used to it over the weekend and then try it out on Monday. I think I need a few days to come up with an answer to the inevitable “is that your real hair” question.

Tell them you got extensions, tell them it’s a body wave, them them it’s a new set of hair products. Or tell them nothing at all, aside from “yes.” Completely up to you. So happy to hear you are loving it!!

Just had to drop in and say I took Lauren’s advice and tried out my topper on my vacation to Hawaii! No beeps or buzzes at the airport and I was so happy with how I looked in all my pics. I’d post a pic if I could! And that thing stayed ON. Even through whale watching and a windy day at Pearl Harbor. It was a success! I’m bummed I’m not quite ready mentally to wear it everyday because I had so much confidence with it on. Welcome to dallas btw! Sorry it’s unusually cold here right now 🙂

Oh my gosh, this is great! I am traveling with my sister in December, she knows about my topper, and wanted to brave the xray machine thingy. thank you for directing me to this post.
I have been wearing my topper almost daily since January and now won’t go out without it, sometimes stay in all day (I work at home) and still wear it. My hubby loves me with or without but says it definitely has a certain sex appeal, most likely because I am more confident with it.
Welcome to the Dallas area, I too, live here and you are a great fit for our great state.

What about a taped on wig……Has anyone traveled that way?????
Im TERRIFIED to travel because…..my boyfriend dosen t know. . And I will NEVER tell him.It’s painful enought to lose your hair….I feel NO one should know… THAT is how strong I feel about it…..I wish I didn’t feel that way……It really make me feel insecure….

Hi Lee – I haven’t traveled in a wig yet, but you shouldn’t need to worry since they often don’t have metal clips or combs. They DO sometimes have metal ear tabs, though. Can you pin the sides up with some bobby pins…that way if it goes off you can just smile and point to the pins?

Also, I presume you mean a full wig and not a taped on topper? If you mean taped on topper, no worries! There’s no metal.

I tried wearing bobby-pins and pointing, they still wanted to full on grope my wig. I’m saying this as someone who’s traveled globally with a wig and everywhere in the US with a wig. The full-body scanners detect ALL metal now. it’s best to go with tape, glue, or get plastic clips and sew them into the wig. those raise no alarms. But no tricks have kept my wig from being groped when there is metal.

OKAY so, EVERY TIME I go through TSA with a wig they full body scanners detect the metal clips. You must have been lucky, because for me, in Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles Body scanners find the clips, every time, EVERY TIME. In Texas I don’t get a gentle head pat, these people full on DIG into the wig and say out loud “Yeah I know why it went off, i feel the clips”.

So JUST to be sure I’d amend this article by telling people who wear wigs for hair-loss that they should either get plastic clips and slew them in or remove the clips and use tape until they reach their destination and put the clips back in.

I started wearing a topper this past December. My salon owner found me the perfect match to my hair. The topper attaches with Velcro strips that attach neatly to my bio hair. It works perfectly. I have been in heavy wide and on the beach. I am not sure why I haven’t heard anyone else recommend this method of attachment. They are attached to the inside of the topper with a sticky side. When the Velcro touches my hair it which is very thin and has many bald spots it grabs securely and doesn’t move. I remove it gently at nights. I never worry about airports.

Hi Lyn! We have spoken about this before, albeit in the comments section of some other post. Can you share where you got them (maybe your stylist sells them?) for others? I know Aderans makes them. I tried them once and I didn’t like them, however, they could be beneficial for others. Thanks for sharing!

I am traveling for work this coming Monday to Washington DC. I wear a topper with metal clips, and I’ve been dreading going through the metal detectors. Your post has given me some good ideas for handling the situation, regardless of whether I get stopped. I’m flying out of DFW, I live in Dallas. I’ll let you know what happens.

Thank you for making this topic less taboo for other women to talk about.

How many metal clips do you wear in your topper? I’m traveling for work soon with co-workers and am nervous about the detector going off and bringing notice to it since I uave inly told family and close friends about my hair.

Anyone know where I can buy plastic clips to sew into my topper? I haven’t been able to find any. I go through Boston Airport a few times a year and always set off the alarm and get “head-groped!” Travelling with family friends in a month and do not want to go through this again!
Thanks

Oh Lordy! How about me? I have no boobs and wear silicone prostheses. It’s like I’m carrying concealed liquids! I had a total knee replacement a couple of years ago. AND I wear a topper. They will probably wrestle me to the ground and handcuff me, lol. Haven’t flown in a few years. But it’s coming, baby. You’ll probably see me on the news. 😜

Since January, when I first started wearing toppers, I have flown to Miami, several cities in Ecuador, Sydney, Australia, Bali, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Once I beeped because I forgot to take off my watch, but other than that I have never been stopped or had anyone touch my head. For me, I don’t even think about it anymore. No worries, gals! Enjoy your travels and having your “hair” always look great!

So it happened!! Flying from Houston to San Francisco today… went through the full body scanner. (I wear a human hair topper all the time) I thought about it before I left home but didn’t really stress since I remembered this post. Then forgot about it till the scanner. And you guessed it…she said I just need to pat your head. So she did! But very lightly and then said thank you. I smiled and didn’t say a word. None the wiser.

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So, who am I? I’m just a gal losing her hair, who was tired of searching endlessly for information about this condition. I was desperate to connect with somebody (anybody!) who could relate. Basically…I’m just like you.
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